


Dullred

by Arachnobite



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Eddsworld AU, Other, Will update tags as story progresses, chapter 2 tags: implied rape and abuse, content warnings will be posted in the notes of every chapter, dullred, dullred au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-06 23:28:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18398525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arachnobite/pseuds/Arachnobite
Summary: After his defeat at the hands of his old friends, Tord is consumed by the lust for vengeance. He vows to destroy his old friends no matter what it takes. As he plans for the next attack, he takes his anger out on Pau and Patryck, his second and third in command. Due to this, Pau has grown to greatly resent his boss, wishing he would disappear. One night, Pau gets exactly what he wished for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Welcome to the first chapter of the Dullred AU. I made this AU with an old friend of mine, who has since left the fandom and has put me in charge of completing the writing for this AU (as well as many of our other AUs). We are no longer friends, and I don't wish to talk about them.
> 
> This AU is rather gritty, and you'll probably hate Red Leader and/or Pau for the first few chapters. However, trust me with developing their character as this story goes along. I also apologize for this chapter being so short. I'd call this more of a prologue than a chapter, to be honest.
> 
> Content warnings:  
> Abuse.

The two men salute as their leader approaches them. Pau’s eyes, burning with hatred, follow the man who was currently making his life a living hell. The man who he used to consider his friend at one point in his life. He had now been corrupted by the pursuit of vengeance and the thirst for power and domination. His heart had been blackened by the resentment he holds for those who foiled his previous plan and caused the accident which had disfigured him. Pau observes the dark red scabs of the deep scars and burn marks which had not yet had time to fully heal, that cover the right side of his face, as well as much of the right side of his body. The mutilated mess that remained of his right eye had been dressed by a large, black eyepatch. His mangled right arm had been removed and was now replaced with a metal, robotic prosthetic, which had been ironically taken from the very machine that had given him such injuries. After the incident with Tord’s giant robot being shot down, Pau and Patryck had so graciously patched him up. Pau had expected his boss to be grateful for his second and third in command. However, not a single word of gratitude was uttered that day, nor had one been uttered since. After that day, the Norwegian man let his anger consume him, and he had been working to get back at his old friends ever since.

  
The Norseman stands inches away from the two, wearing a serious face. "At ease..." He mumbles. The two resume a normal stance and await their boss's orders. "Both of you, follow me." He demands. Pau and Pat follow their leader to his office without question or resistance. Once there, the Norseman takes a seat in his chair. Pau takes a look around the room, trying not to gaze directly into his boss's cold, heartless eyes. He locks eyes with the clock and takes note of the time. 6:15pm. He prays this will be over soon. Patryck was clearly more nervous than he was. Pau could take a hit from their leader, but Pat was much different than he was. While not 'soft' per se, he was still a bit...fragile. Of course, wounds do tend to sting more when they come from those you care about. Pau knows that Patryck had known their boss for much longer than him. Before he became Red Leader, as a matter of fact. For this reason, Pau is much more lenient on his friend, realizing that he still holds onto the hope that their boss will one day revert back to the man he used to be. Although, he doesn't see that happening anytime soon.

  
"I suppose you're wondering why I called you both in here." Tord says, lighting up a cigar and taking a long drag. Neither of his men reply. Tord furrows his brow the slightest bit, kicking his feet up on the desk rather aggressively. The two jump at the abrupt sound of boots slamming against wood. Pau grits his teeth behind his closed lips in irritation, although his expression remains neutral.

"S-sir..." Pat finally responds.

"Well..." Tord leans back a bit. "It appears that you two haven't completed your work for the month." He raises a brow at them. Pau balls his hands into fists.

"Sir, you give us so much work that it's hard to stay on top of." He argues. Tord sits upright in his seat and places his feet on the ground once more.

"Is that what you think?" He asks, gazing directly into his soldier's eyes. Pau reluctantly nods. Tord takes another drag of his cigar and sighs a cloud of sweet smelling smoke. He rises to his feet and walks around his desk, standing directly next to Pau. The Dutchman refuses to so much as glance at him. Tord abruptly grabs a fistful of Pau's hair and pulls.

"Gh-!" The soldier flinches and bares his teeth in pain. Patryck watches helplessly, desperately trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation. Tord pulls his soldier's head close to him and mutters in his ear.

"You think you have the right to complain? You two are the reason I lost to Tom. Don't forget that. Had both of you come sooner, everything would have worked out just as planned." Pau refuses to move or reply, further angering the Norseman.

"Um, sir..." Before Red Leader can do any more harm, Pat speaks up. Red Leader lets go of the Dutchman's hair and walks over to Patryck.

"What do you want?" Tord asks, intensely glowering at Pat. The Polish man swallows dryly before responding.

"W-we'll get the work done..." He assures rather doubtfully. Tord abruptly drops his cigar and grabs Pat by the collar of his shirt, yanking him close.

"Fuck the work! I can't trust you two with anything!" Pat freezes and stares into his leader's fiery green eyes. Pau instinctively grabs Tord's wrist without thinking. Mere seconds pass, before Pau feels an intense force make impact with his face. He recoils and holds his cheek, only to feel another punch to his stomach. He doubles over in pain, trying not to vomit. "Both of you get out before I execute you!!" Tord bellows. Pat quickly helps his friend up and ushers him out.

  
The two men retreat to Pau's office, whereupon Pau proceed to burst into a fit of rage. He flips his desk and punches a wall, growling and shouting as he does so. Pat simply stands in the corner and waits for his friend's rampage to end. Pau manages to calm down after punching the third hole in his wall. Although still fuming with hatred, he no longer has the energy to cause any more damage. "...I'm sorry..." Pat mutters.

"It's not your fault, Pat..." Pau says in a much softer way than he feels. Patryck sighs and rubs his arm.

"I know...I just feel like I shouldn't have said anything..." Pau looks to the ground.

"Pat...everything will be fine. He's just a jackass."

"...I just want things to be back to the way they were before..." Pat says sullenly. The Dutchman takes a seat and rubs his face with his hands.

"God, I want him to suffer...I want him to get what he fucking deserves!" The Polish man remains silent as his friend goes on a tangent about how much he hates their boss. He had heard it all before. It was getting old at this point.

  
The night comes with silence as everyone wordlessly enters their quarters for the night. Pau removes his uniform and sweater, crawling into bed with nothing but his boxers on. He can feel the bruise forming on his face as he lays his cheek on his pillow; a dull, aching pain that was too faint to sting, but too obvious to ignore. He closes his eyes in the hopes that he will find sleep easy tonight. His thoughts are racing, however. He thinks about how easy it would be to simply walk into Red Leader's room and execute him while he slept. Although, he fears Patryck would never forgive him. He tosses and turns, wondering if Pat was having just as much trouble sleeping as he was. Finally, after an hour of nonstop thinking, the soldier begins to drift off.

  
Blaring alarms jolt Pau out of his short lived slumber. He sits bolt upright and grabs the rifle propped against his bedside table. Not bothering to put on his uniform, the Dutchman rushes out, meeting Pat in the hallway. The two glance at each other with confused and terrified expressions. "What's going on?!" Pau shouts over the sound of the shrieking sirens.

"I don't know!" Pat replies. Suddenly, gunshots can be heard coming from down the hallway. The two men rush towards the gunfire with their weapons at the ready. As soon as they round a corner, they notice their boss being dragged away by a group of armed individuals with helmets obscuring their faces. Pat quickly charges, but is yanked back by Pau.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" The Dutchman scolds.

"We have to save Red Leader!" Pat argues.

"It's too dangerous!" Pau retorts. By the time the two are done bickering, the group of invaders had run off with Red Leader.

"Shit!" Pat shouts, running in the direction they were last seen, despite Pau's protesting. He reluctantly follows his friend down the lengthy hallway and outside the base, whereupon they see a black vehicle speed off into the snow. Pau takes a look around the base. It was an absolute massacre. More soldiers were rushing in by the second. "Goddammit Pau!" Pat shouts. "If you hadn't interrupted me, I could have saved him!"

"You were going to get yourself killed! Did you see how many of them there were?!" The Dutchman bellows angrily. Pat suddenly slaps his friend forcefully.

"Fuck you! This is all your fault!" The soldier blames, tears forming in his eyes as his voice quivers. Shocked, Pau cups his burning cheek. Patryck had never slapped him before. Instead of continuing to argue, he simply glares at his friend and turns away to tend to the wounded soldiers as the alarms finally shut off. Patryck wipes the tears from his eyes and rushes outside in hopes of finding any trace of the kidnappers. He searches high and low, but there is nothing to be found. The Polish man anxiously paces in the frigid cold, wondering how this could possibly happen in such a tightly guarded base. He couldn't wrap his head around it. As he paces, he notices something; what looked like a tiny shard of golden metal in the snow. Pat pinches it and picks it up. It is revealed to be an entire name tag as it is pulled from the snow. He examines it. The name on the tag had been almost entirely scratched out. The only letters that remained were 'B' and 'V.' The soldier frantically rushes back into the base with the name tag in hand. This had to mean something.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Leader realizes how little power he has while in the hands of his captors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIG CONTENT WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER:  
> Implied r*pe, abuse.
> 
> For the implied r*pe content warning, there will be a horizontal line dividing the paragraph that contains the scene in question. After the paragraph there will be an important details summary in parenthesis that does not include any triggering information, but recaps anything important from that paragraph.
> 
> There is no "r*pe scene" but there are strong implications that Tord is r*ped.

 The Norseman struggles with his captors, fighting against the restraints and shouting swears and profanities. "Shut up!" One of the men growls, punching Tord in the stomach. Tord yelps and folds over in pain. "Jesus, you're annoying."  
  
"He won't be for long, though." The man driving says over the sound of the rumbling engine. The other men in the car laugh and offer words of agreement. Tord sneers.  
  
"You fuckers won't be laughing when my men come to rescue me!" He yells. The captors erupt into laughter after the comment. Tord can feel anxiety welling up within him.  
  
"What makes you think anyone wants to rescue you after the way you treat people?" One of the captors asks. The Norseman falls silent as he suddenly realizes how badly he has treated his soldiers. He thinks over all the men who worked for him in his head. Surely at least one of them will want to save him.   
  
"Patryck!" Red Leader blurts. "Patryck will want to save me!" The chortling from the captors only continues. Tord begins to sweat profusely as they cackle like crazed hyenas at his remarks.  
  
"You're beyond delusional." Says the man driving. The man sitting next to Tord chuckles.  
  
"But don't worry. We'll bring you right back down to reality. Won't we guys?" Everyone in the vehicle shares words of agreement once more. Tord's face now visibly showed an anxious countenance. "Aww, is the big, bad Red Leader scared?" The man next to him mocks.  
  
"Fuck you!" Tord shouts. Suddenly, the car stops, and someone grabs a fistful of the Norseman's hair. "Agh!" He grunts as he is forced out of the car and blindfolded. His captors shove and tug him as they enter a desolate and decrepit abandoned jailhouse. Once inside, they flip on the lights and thrust Red Leader into a cell, shutting the door and locking it tight.  
  
  
Tord squirms as his restraints keep him from moving too much. The men discuss among each other about what they should do to him, first. Each suggestion that Tord overhears frightens him more. His body begins to shake, and he struggles against his restraints even more. "Let me out you fuckers! I'll kill all of you!" He shouts. All talking stops, and the men turn in the direction of the cell. 

* * *

  
_**\---CW: Implied r*pe---**_  
"Hand me the key." One of the men says. "I think we should show him his place, first." The captors all nod in compliance, as the cell door opens and they enter. They all stand over Tord for a moment, before the first kick is administered. The Norseman yelps in pain, helpless to the barrage of heavy leather boots stomping and kicking every inch of his body. He curls in on himself, praying that it would be over soon. It lasts for quite some time, however, before the men begin to tire. Tord whimpers and shakes, suddenly feeling a hand grip his hair and pull him up. He whimpers and stands despite not wanting to. The blindfold is soon yanked off, and Tord looks around at the men, who were now unmasked. His eyes widen.  
  
"Y-you all..." He mutters.  
  
"That's right! Didn't think your own soldiers would ever outsmart you, did ya?" A man with black hair asks.  
  
"Vincent let go of me this instant!" The Norseman shouts in an attempt to intimidate the man. Red Leader's face is then abruptly shoved into the dirty, rotting mattress of his cell bed.  
  
"How sad that you still think you have power over me." Vincent remarks. Tord glances back at him.  
  
"Let me go." He huffs, feeling Vincent's grip on his hair tighten.  
  
"I wouldn't let you go if my life depended on it. You're the one who killed my brother for insubordination, remember? You deserve every bit of pain and humiliation you're about to receive." The black haired man threatens. Tord swallows dryly.  
  
"What are you going to do to me...?" He asks as his heart races. He feels like vomiting. This doesn't feel real.  
  
"Don't worry yourself with that. You'll see soon enough. You've already gotten a little taste, but let's up the ante a little bit. Helman!" Vincent calls forth a large, buff man who grabs Tord's shirt and tears it off. The Norseman gasps.  
  
"No. Don't." He begs. He suddenly feels his pants being yanked down and begins to squirm. "Stop! Please!" Vincent begins to laugh, with everyone else following.  
  
"Just relax. There's nothing you can do about it. Might as well learn to take it, since there will be many more times after this." The Norseman hears Vincent unzip his pants and begins to sob.  
  
"No! Please! Please, I'll do anything!" He cries, feeling his hips being roughly gripped.  
  
"It's too late for that, now. You're about to get what you deserve."  
 _ **\---CW OVER**_ _ **\---  
**_

 

 

**(Important details: Red leader finds out that his captors are soldiers who work for him. Vincent is the leader, and another soldier name Helman is his right hand man).**

* * *

  
Pau examines the name tag with a puzzled expression. "V...B..." He says under his breath. "What kind of name could that be...?" Patryck was pacing and biting his nails anxiously. "Maybe V is the first initial of a name...?" Pau continues to talk to himself. Pat frantically tries to slow his breathing, as he walks back and forth, desperately thinking of possible ways to rescue their leader. After a while of mulling it over, the Dutchman sighs and sets the name tag on his desk. Pat glances at his friend.  
  
"A-any ideas?" He asks. Pau shakes his head.  
  
"Barely any thoughts." He mutters.  
  
"D-do you think Red Leader has a roster of some kind...?" The Polish man asks. Pau huffs.  
  
"I'm sure he does, but I have no idea where it could be." Pat whimpers and continues to pace. Pau exhales and lights a cigarette, taking a puff before placing his lighter back into his pocket. "Listen, Pat." The large browed man says softly. "I know you two have been friends for quite some time. But the Tord you knew before the robot incident is gone. And he's never coming back whether we save him or not. I think we should just let it go." Pat immediately stops pacing and turns to Pau, face red with anger. He abruptly slams his hands on his friend's desk and glowers at him.  
  
"That's easy for you to fucking say! You hardly know him!"  
  
"I don't need to know much about him to know that he's a fucking piece of shit bastard!" Pau retorts, clearly rather frustrated. Pat clenches his fists and bares his teeth, just barely holding back the urge to deck Pau in the face once again. Instead of hitting his friend, he storms off, slamming the Dutchman's office door on the way out. Pau heaves a heavy sigh and takes another toke of his cigarette. He can tell this situation won't be easy for either of them. Patryck could be one stubborn motherfucker, and Pau has a feeling he won't simply let this go. He also knows that Patryck might never forgive him if he doesn't try his hardest to get their boss back. After finishing off his cigarette, Pau stands up and exits his office. He makes his way down the hallway and knocks on the door to Pat's room. "Patryck." He speaks softly.  
  
"...What...?" A quiet voice from the other side mutters.  
  
"We're going to at least try to find Red Leader. But I'll need your help, okay?" There is no response for a while, until the lock on the door clicks, and Pat slowly creaks it open. He looks at Pau with red, puffy eyes and nods, allowing him to enter.

* * *

**_\---CW: Aftermath of the r*pe---_**  
  
The cell door once again shuts, and Tord is left on the ground, naked and humiliated. He doesn't want to process the things he feels right now. He doesn't want to think about it. He just wants someone to hold him and care for him; tell him it's alright and swear that he's safe. It doesn't feel unreal anymore. Quite the opposite, actually. Everything feels too real, now, and it is unbelievably agonizing. He feels like he has been used up. He feels absolutely vile and filthy, like no matter how many baths he takes, he will never be able to wash off this feeling of absolute violation. He wants nothing more than to feel love after experiencing something so degrading. Although, he feels as though he may never experience love ever again. He wonders if Pau and Pat are even thinking of a way to rescue him. Surely they would be better off without him, he thinks. Still, he holds on to the hope that they are working at finding him and taking him back to the base. He prays that this will all be over soon and he'll be able to go back to the base. Although, thinking about what Vincent had said earlier was making him feel ill and hopeless. Despite the previous happenings, Tord finds sleep late into the night. He would soon come to find that sleep would be his only solace for many, many days and nights.

_**\--CW OVER--** _

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I won't ever subject y'all to a graphic r*pe scene. It's really distasteful when people do that. Also yes, that scene will have an over all impact on the story, so I didn't just put it in there to be edgy. Nothing in this fic is just there to be edgy.


	3. Solitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pau and Patryck finally get a lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings:  
> Abuse, torture.

Three days pass with no luck for the two soldiers. Patryck had been working tirelessly day in and day out. He had barely gotten any sleep save for a few catnaps throughout the day. Pau hardly had any time to be conversing with his friends after taking over for Red Leader in his absence. "Jesus, if this is what being Red Leader is like, I'll take his abusive ass over doing this shit any day..." Pau grumbles to himself, as he unclogs an inmate's toilet. "Fucking Christ, man! What kind of monster shits have you been taking?!" He shouts to the prisoner, who was sitting on his bed reading a book.

"Hey, it's the pipes, man. They're too narrow." He replies.

"Goddammit all..." Pau huffs, finally managing to unclog the toilet. He sighs with relief and wipes his brow. The prisoner glances up from his book and smirks.

"Hey, thanks." He says pleasantly.

"Yeah, sure..." Pau mumbles. "Try not to clog it again, I have way too much going on at the moment." The prisoner pushes some of his brunette hair out of his eyes and continues to gaze at his book.

"I would imagine so, Mr. Red Leader." He teases in a playful manner. Pau squints.

"Hey, don't call me that. I'm just filling in until we find our boss...if we ever find him..." He mumbles. There is an awkward pause between the two for a moment. "What's your name, again?" The Dutchman asks.

"Mickael Rotenburg. Or Mickey also works...or Mick." The prisoner replies. Pau nods.

"Well, you can just call me Pau. I'd rather not associate myself too much with the boss, considering he was the bane of my existence." Mick hums.

"Hm? Really? Why are you trying to find him, then?" Pau huffs.

"Patryck would never forgive me if I didn't at least try to find him. Plus, I've only been Red Leader for not even a day and I'm already sick of it. I don't know why Red Leader made me of all people his second in command. I would think with how close he and Pat were that he would make him second in command."

"Can't you just step down and let Pat take your place?" Mickey asks.

"Trust me, Pat is not in a good state to be Red Leader right now. He can barely take care of himself, so I don't suspect he'll be able to handle an entire army." The soldier replies. Mick nods and folds in the corner of a page on his book, shutting it and placing it to the side.

"Well, hopefully you guys find the boss man soon. Although, I like you a lot better. Red Leader would never agree to unclog my toilet for me." The inmate jests. Pau rolls his eyes.

"Well, this is just a one-time thing. So I suggest you don't clog it up next time."

"No promises." Mickey jokes. With that, Pau turns to leave. "Oh! One more question." Mick blurts out. Pau turns back to face the inmate.

"Yeah?"

"Who kidnapped Red Leader?" Mickey asks.

"We don't know, yet. We're still trying to find that out." The Dutchman replies.

"I was just wondering, because I've overheard some of the guards talking about planning to 'teach the boss a lesson' for a while, now, and I didn't know if maybe they were the ones who took him." Mick informs. Pau's eyes widen with interest.

"Which guards?" He asks. Mick hums in thought.

"Hmm...well, they're the guards who work night shift. I only know the names Boschwek and Sven. I'm pretty sure Boschwek is a surname, though."

"Do you know his first name?" Pau questions, now taking two steps toward Mick, who shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, no. Sven's last name is Nilsson, though." Pau nods.

"Thank you." He says, before exiting the cell and locking it behind him.

  
The morning brings with it no comfort, as the creaking door awakens the Norseman. "Good morning sunshine!" Vincent patronizes. Tord growls.

"Fuck you..." He mutters. Vincent furrows his brow and gives a swift kick to Tord's stomach, making him vomit a little.

"Still don't know your place, huh?" Vincent shakes his head. "Looks like we're going to have to work harder to teach you." With that, the captor summons Helman and the others. "Take him to solitary." Vincent orders. Helman nods and begins to drag the weakened Norseman towards solitary confinement. Tord begins to struggle despite how much it hurts to do so. Helman grunts as he tries to keep Tord from slipping away. Finally, Tord manages to wiggle free and immediately takes off towards the entrance of the prison, despite his hands still being restrained. He barely gets a foot away before he feels a large palm on his head. Before he knows it, Tord is slammed to the ground head first. He blacks out immediately afterwards.

  
Patryck furiously types away at a document, which was riddled with typos, unbeknownst to him. His drooping eyelids threatened to shut at any moment, and his entire body felt weak. He feels as though he may collapse at any moment. He continues to type away, however. Despite how utterly exhausted he is. There soon comes a sudden knock at his door. The Polish man jumps a bit. "C-come in." He stutters. Pau creaks the door open and steps inside his friend's office.

"Hey." He says softly. Pat immediately notices the softness in his tone, and realizes how odd it is for Pau to be speaking in such a way. He rarely ever used such a mild voice when he spoke. Pat begins to feel a bit nervous.

"I-is something wrong?" He asks. Pau walks in and plops down in a chair.

"No. I just wanted to see how you were doing." He informs. The Polish soldier eases up a bit.

"Right...I'm uh...I'm doing fine..." Pat replies, although his shaking hands say otherwise. Pau quirks a brow.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should rest."

"No!" Pat blurts. Surprised at the outburst, the Dutchman recoils a tad. "I-I mean-...I can't." Patryck clears his throat and glances back at his computer monitor. "I need to think of a way to find Red Leader..." Pau wants to say something, but figures there is no changing his friend's mind. Patryck could be awfully stubborn, he recalls.

"Well...good luck to ya. I'm trying to find out some things, myself." The Dutchman mutters.

"Thanks..." Pat replies. He readies his hands to begin typing once more as the room becomes quiet. However, he gets to thinking and lowers his hands once more. "He used to be so kind..." He mumbles. Pau looks up at him. "...We were so close. Ever since he moved to England all those years ago, when we first met, he was so shy and kind. It took him forever to open up to me, but when he did, I saw how amazing he was..."

"I see..." Pau remarks, trying his best to understand where Pat is coming from.

"But one day he met them...his old friends..." The Polish man clenches his fists. "Every time he would tell me of something awful they did or said, I would tell him to cut them off...but he was so nice, and he liked them so much despite all their flaws that he just...never listened...He always said that he would if the problems persisted but...he never did...and things only got worse." Pau blinks in confusion.

"What did they do?" He asks. Pat stares down at his feet.

"They would insult his interests, call him names, neglect him, lie to him, and all sorts of other shit. Thomas was the worst. God, sometimes he hated Thomas...but he kept holding onto the hope that one day they would be friends...but then they had an argument...one that caused Tord to leave once and for all. Then Matt reached out to him after he left...and told him that none of them liked him in the first place..." Pau listens closely as Patryck recounts the memories to him. "Tord was too nice for his own good sometimes...and not articulated enough to express himself in the ways he wanted to, which only left him more vulnerable to harassment from them. Once he formed the Red Army, I told him I would support him no matter what...and I've kept that promise to this day." Although he doesn't want to admit it, Pau begins to feel a bit sorry for their leader. However, recollections of the way he treated him and Pat would always come back each time, and he would cease to feel pity. He dare not tell Patryck, though. Patryck continues to speak. "After he tried to get revenge and failed, something within him snapped...I'm not trying to excuse his abusiveness. I'm only giving reasons for it...I always felt that maybe things would go back to normal if he got revenge once and for all...so I said I vowed to keep my promise, even through all of this..." Once Patryck is done pouring his heart out, Pau sighs.

"I'm sorry, Pat. I know this whole situation sucks, but I'm going to do everything I can to help you find him, okay?" The Dutchman promises. Pat looks up at him and smiles.

"Thank you." He says gratefully. Pau nods, then suddenly remembers something.

"Oh! We have a lead, by the way!" He says. The Polish man's tired eyes light up.

"Really?"

"Yep! One of the inmates told me that some of the night shift guards were talking about 'teaching Red Leader a lesson.' He said that he recognized two of the guards as Sven Nilsson and Boschwek." Pau informs.

"Wait...which inmate told you this?" Pat inquires.

"Uhh...his name was Mikey, or something." Pau replies. Patryck gives him a befuddled look.

"Who?" Pau rolls his eyes. "Come on, I'll take you to him."

  
Tord's eyes flutter open and he groans. He notices that he is now laying in a cold, dark room with only one beam of light creeping under the cracked, solid door to his new cell. He begins to hyperventilate, sitting up quickly, but noticing a blaring headache pounding in his skull. "Aghh!" He whines, and clutches his head, curling up in a fetal position in a corner. That's when he realizes that he was missing his robotic arm. Panic sets in. He wants to scream or call out for help, but he knows no help will arrive. Instead, he begins to sob uncontrollably, wondering if anyone will ever come to his aid. He was beginning to lose hope. Three days had gone by with no sign of interference from his soldiers. He fears it may be over for him if they don't come soon. His captors hadn't fed him at all, and only gave him enough water to survive. His hunger pains were immense, and his throat was dry as a desert. Hours pass as he becomes more and more disoriented in his cell. Anxiety wells up within him as he begins to panic. He vomits bile onto the floor, as there is nothing in his stomach left to purge. He cries and begs to be released, scratching at the door until his fingers start to bleed. Auditory hallucinations begin to occur within the next thirty minutes, and he begins to feel extremely paranoid. Tord screams and screams until his vocal cords are nearly shot. That's when he hears a voice.

“Goodness, sir.”

Red Leader sits bolt upright at the sound of the familiar voice. “Patryck?!” He shouts in confusion. “Patryck, where are you?!” Despite the searing pain in his head, Red Leader rises to his feet and glances around his empty cell. He hears another faint voice.

“You’ve gotten yourself into quite a predicament, haven’t you, sir?” The Norseman gasps.

“Patryck! Please tell me where you are!” He pauses and waits for a reply, feeling more tears form in his eyes when he receives none. “Patryck, please! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry I treated you and Pau like shit! Please come back!” The communist once again waits for a response, but hears no such thing. The battered man squeezes his eyes shut tight and begins weeping, as he slowly sinks back to the cold, concrete floor. “I’m sorry…” He whispers, as he curls up into himself. He soon cries himself to sleep.

  
"...And that's pretty much it." Mickael finishes off his story about what he heard from the guards so many nights ago.

"But how do we know we can trust you?" Patryck asks. Mickael shrugs.

"It's your choice whether or not you want to trust me. I have no reason to lie to you. Especially after how well you two have treated me compared to the boss man." Patryck hums.

"I guess you're right..." He then looks to Pau. "What should we do?"

"I say we wait until night, then confront the guards. After all, Mickey did say that Sven is still here."He suggests. Pat nods in agreement.

"Sounds good to me." The Polish man then looks to Mick. "By the way, what were you locked up for?" Mick smirks.

"Well...when Red Leader visited Germany a couple years back, I graffiti'd his plane, remember? I think you two were there. Anyway, he didn't take too kindly to me writing 'Arschloch König' on the side of his plane, and had me arrested. Ahh...good times." The German man seems to relish in the memory, as he closes his eyes and sighs. Pau and Pat glance at each other.

"Well, thank you for the information Mickael." Pat says.

"Not a problem. If you need any more help, you know where to find me." Mick assures. With that, Pau and Pat exit the cell and lock it behind them. The two then begin to make their way down the hallway.

"What does Arschloch König mean?" Pat wonders aloud.

"We can only guess." Pau remarks. The two soon enter Pat's office and take their seats. "So, we in agreement to interrogate the fuck out of Sven, tonight?" The Dutchman asks. Pat nods.

"I guess that means I should take a nap if I want to be on my A-game."

"That would probably be a good idea." Pau agrees. The Polish man yawns.

"Alright." He then stands up and makes his way towards the beanbag sitting in the corner of his office. He lays down in it softly and yawns once more. Pau chuckles.

"And you told me you had no use for a beanbag." Pat smirks.

"Fuck off, I'm trying to sleep." He says mostly jokingly.

"Alright, alright. Sleep tight, princess." The Dutchman jests, as he leaves his friend's office and gently shuts the door behind him. The soldier exhales and glances at his watch. Only 9:23am. It was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I remembered enough German to translate that, lmao. Anyway, yes, Mickey will be a recurring character. This chapter is a bit longer than the others (thank God). I would say expect them to get a bit longer, but I'm not sure, yet.


	4. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pau and Patryck find Sven and intend to interrogate him. However, that may be a bit more difficult than they thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a lighthearted chapter. I'm sorry that this one is so insultingly short.
> 
> Content warnings:  
> Mild torture.

Once night falls, Pau makes his way down the hallway towards the prison cells. Patryck was already waiting in the interrogation room, checking his watch frequently and tapping his foot with a hint of nervousness. Pau soon reaches the cell room and gazes out at the guards, who all salute upon seeing him. "Sven Nilsson." He calls out. The guards glance to the man in question. Sven stares a Pau for a moment, before turning and bolting. "Hey!" Pau shouts, sprinting after him. Mickael and some other inmates were being lead out of their cells by guards escorting him to the inmate cafeteria for dinner. Once Sven and Pau run by, Mickey yanks free of the guards' grasps and rushes towards the two. One of the guards follows suit. The four men run down hallway after hallway until they eventually reach the exit of the base. "Stop him!" Pau shouts to the guards standing outside. Before he knows it, Sven has five men after him. He desperately makes a break for the heavy steel gate guarding the base, although not sure how he was going to get over it. Before he can so much as touch the gate, he is tackled by Mickael and grabbed by Pau. The prison guard then restrains Mickey, as the Dutchman drags Sven back into the base.

  
Once in the interrogation room, Pau shoves Sven into a chair. The other guards had handcuffed him prior to them entering the interrogation room. Pau sits down in front of him and glares at the silver haired man. "So why did you run away from me?" Pat asks, despite already knowing the answer. Sven scowls.

"I don't have to talk to you." The Dutchman sighs.

"Listen, the more you cooperate, the less you'll have to suffer. If you don't cooperate, we have ways of making you." He then cracks his knuckles. Sven, who was significantly smaller and skinnier than Pau, begins to show signs of intimidation. He remains firm in his decision to not speak, however, and keeps his mouth shut, crossing his arms stubbornly. Pau glares at him. "Guess we're doing this the hard way...Pat, call in the 'expert.'" He requests. Patryck nods and leaves the room. Sweating, Sven looks at Pau.

"E-expert?" He mumbles.

"The one who is going to get information out of you via various forms of torture." Pau informs. Sven sucks his teeth, pretending to not be afraid.

"Tsk...you think that'll scare me?"

"Oh, just you wait." The Dutchman smirks. "Just you wait..."

  
Minutes pass before the door bursts open. "Elin reporting for duty, sir!" A short, stocky woman wearing a military cap chimes, giving her new boss an enthusiastic salute.

"Good evening, Elin." Pau greets. "Think you can coax some information out of this guy?" The ginger girl nods.

"Leave it to me, boss!" She assures, then Jumps up on the table and stares Sven in the eyes. "We're gonna have lots of fun, today!"

Sven huffs a laugh. "Heh. You're crazy if you think some girl is gonna intimidate me." Pau walks around and uncuffs the man.

"We'll see about that..." He says, before he and Pat make their way to the door.

"Hey...w-what are you two doing?" The silver haired man asks nervously.

"We're going to go get some desert. You two have fun." Pau replies, as he and his friend leave. Sven gazes at Elin.

"So what're you gonna do, little girl? You know, I don't hit wom-" Before he can finish his sentence, the Norwegian girl pounces on him and puts him in a headlock. Sven screams and struggles to get free of her grasp.

  
Pau and Pat can hear the screaming from the break room. Pau chuckles. "Seems she's already doing good." Patryck nods with a mouthful of cake. Pau quirks a brow. "I thought you couldn't eat cake." The Polish man shakes his head and swallows.

"It's kosher. My mum made it for me." He informs.

"Oohh..." Pau nods, as he takes a bite of a doughnut. The two are quiet as they finish their dessert. After he is finished, Pat sighs. The Dutchman looks up. "What's wrong?" He asks. Pat stares down at his feet.

"I guess I'm just feeling a bit hopeless..." He mutters. "I know it's only been a few days, but I'm so worried about him..." Pau looks to the ground for a moment and swallows his bite of doughnut.

"I know...but hey, like you've said, it's only been a few days. There's still a chance that he's alive. I mean, I know it's kind of a scary thought, but I'm sure that his kidnappers have plans to keep him alive for a while. If they wanted to kill him, they would have done it on the spot, y'know?" Pau tries to assure his friend, although he was never quite good at reassurance. He was more of a listener than someone who gives advice. Patryck nods.

"I suppose you're right..." The two abruptly hear Sven call out,

"Alright! Alright! I'll talk! I'll talk!" Pau and Pat glance at each other, before rushing back towards the interrogation room. Once inside, they see Elin restraining Sven's left hand, while using his right hand to punch him in the face.

"Why're you hitting yourself? Why're you hitting yourself? Why're you hitting yourself?" Elin repeats over and over as she forces the man to punch himself.

"Alright Elin, I think he's had enough." Pau says. Elin looks up at Pau and quickly shoves Sven back in his seat. The Dutchman sits down in front of the silver haired man. "Ready to talk?" He asks. Sven glares at him and hesitates for a moment before speaking.

"They were talking about taking Red Leader to an abandoned prison somewhere. I don't know where it would be, because it's a place only they know about..." Patryck writes down the information on a notepad. Pau gazes into Sven's eyes.

"Why didn't you go with them?" He asks. Sven swallows.

"They selected me to stay back to keep anyone who overheard from talking...I tried to threaten Mickael, but he wasn't intimidated, I guess...and then he snitched to you..." There is a hint of anger in his voice as he talks about Mickael.

"Who took Red Leader?" Pau asks.

"Wouldn't you like to know? OW!" Elin pulls on Sven's ear roughly. "Fine! Fine!" The man sighs as Elin lets go of his ear. "Vincent Boschwek was the ringleader. Johannes Helman, Erik Winsley, Peter Yakanov, and Hanz Damner are the other soldiers involved..." Pat nods as he takes down the info on his paper. "Anything else, oh merciless Red Leader?" Sven growls. Pau squints.

"I'll come to your cell if I have any further questions..." He informs. Sven's eyes widen.

"Wait...cell? You can't seriously be locking me up!"

"You aided in the kidnapping of our boss. I think that's more than enough reason to lock you up." The Dutchman argues. He then looks to the Norwegian girl. "Elin, if you will."

"Yes sir!" She chirps, and quickly cuffs Sven, who angrily barks at Pau.

"This is bullshit! I'll get you two for this!" Pau looks to Pat and silently mocks Sven behind his back. Pat snickers and then the two leave the interrogation room. They go their separate ways after a while, passing goodnights to each other before they enter their rooms. Pau sheds his clothing other than his underwear, and lays in his bed. He stares up at the ceiling for a very long time, thinking about what Red Leader must be going through right now.

 _"Whatever it is...he deserves it..."_ He thinks to himself, before turning on his side and shutting his eyes. Sleep comes much easier than it had the previous nights. He sleeps well knowing they have some leads.


	5. Going Hungry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Patryck's mental state deteriorates, Pau fears they have run out of leads. Until...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings:  
> Torture.
> 
> I know these chapters are short, but I promise there will be longer ones once this thing gets kicked off a bit more.

Days pass. Days turn into weeks. Three weeks to be exact. Pau and Patryck desperately search for more clues as to Red Leader's whereabouts, but no luck. They had been given a few promising leads here and there that ultimately lead to nothing in the end. Patryck was spiraling into depression, and Pau could clearly see it. He tries to be there for him the best he can, but it was hard for him. He wasn't used to being everyone's shoulder to lean on. Pau strolls down the hallway, making his way towards Sven's cell. He places his hands on the bars and peeks in. Sven was laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. Pau calls out to him. "Nilsson." Sven sits up.

"What do you want?" He asks.

"I need more information. Anything you have." Pau responds. Sven sucks his teeth.

"Tsk...I've already told you all I know. You've bled me dry. Now piss off." He then flops back down and turns over in his bed. The Dutchman sighs and makes his way over to Mickey's cell. The German was reading his book, as per usual, staring calmly at the pages, lost in his own little world.

"Hey, Mick." Pau calls out. Mickey glances up from his book and smiles at Pau.

"What's up?" He asks, marking his place and then setting his book down.

"Do you have any other information? We're getting really desperate, here." The Dutchman inquires. Mickey shakes his head sullenly.

"Sorry, man. I've given you all the information that I know. Hope you guys find something soon." Pau sighs.

"Thank you..." With that, he walks back to his office. When he sits down, he notices a stack of documents sitting on his desk. Curious, he picks them up, noticing that they were written by Patryck. He begins to read through them, becoming more and more disheartened as he reads.

  
Tord sits huddled up in a corner. He had been taken back to his normal cell after spending a week in solitary confinement. He was emaciated; dirty; his hair had grown past his shoulders. His entire body was weak and feeble. He was covered in new scars and bruises. He had fallen into a deep depression, now feeling as though no one was coming to rescue him. He shivers, wanting nothing more than a blanket or some clothes to cover up with. He still has no idea what happened to his prosthetic. He was no longer allowed to speak or ask questions in most circumstances. He soon hears footsteps approaching his cell. His body begins to shake even more. Vincent stands before him and gazes in with a smirk on his face. Tord wants to look away, but is too afraid. "God, you look terrible." Vincent says, with a hint of disgust in his voice. "Not that you looked very attractive to begin with, but still." Tord glances away for a moment and holds himself closer. "Aww. Is someone scared?" The captor taunts. Tord doesn't reply, feeling absolutely humiliated. Vincent quirks a brow. "Would you like something to eat?" He asks. Tord immediately sits upright and nods. Vincent snickers and calls Helman over. The large man holding a plate of food enters the cell. Tord's mouth begins to water and his stomach growls. He unfurls his body, letting his guard down in the hopes that he'll get some food. Just then, Helman tips over the tray and drops the contents onto the dirty prison floor. Tord is shocked, but quickly goes in to eat, only to have his face slammed into the food covered floor. Vincent cackles as the Norseman's nose begins to bleed and his eyes start to water. He continues to eat the dirty meal, nonetheless. Helman shoves his head into the floor a couple more times before Tord finally gets the hint, and curls back up in his corner. There was still much food left uneaten. His stomach growls, and he desperately wants just one more bite of anything. Although, he now knows that he is not allowed to eat so long as someone is in the room with him.

 

Pau sighs and rubs his face as he reads the document Patryck had written, describing the infantile plan he had created to rescue their leader. Patryck was normally a very intelligent man, but this plan seemed to be poorly thought out. Pau chocks it up to his friend’s paranoia and frantic state. He soon hears the door to his office opening. He glances up to see the man in question, looking ragged and tired. Pau quirks a large brow as he gazes at the Polish man. “What’s the matter?” He asks. Pat rubs his arm.

“I-I was wondering what you thought of my plan.” He informs. Pau stares at him, then sighs softly.

“Pat, I don’t think this plan is going to work.” He states. Patryck frowns and blinks in confusion.

“W-why not?” Pau motions him in, to which Pat complies and sits in a chair in front of Pau's desk. The Dutchman points to a paragraph on the document.

“This, for starters. We can’t simply fly a plane overhead to get a map of the place once we find out where it is. Don’t you think they would get a little suspicious if they saw a Red Army aircraft flying in their territory?” Pat begins to show signs of nervousness as he avoids looking in Pau's direction. The Dutchman resumes. “Second, ‘invading’ the place isn’t as simple as just charging in the front doors and shooting a bunch. We need to strategize.” Pau can see his friend becoming agitated as he continues pointing out the flaws in his plan. After a while, Patryck’s anger eventually reaches its peak, and he slams his hands on Pau's desk, standing up and causing the other man to jump.

“Well what do YOU have in mind, huh?! You think you can do any better?! I was Red Leader's strategist! He elected ME to strategize for him! YOU were nothing but a frontline soldier! All you did was carry out the plans I created! You think you can do better than me?!" He bellows at the top of his lungs. Despite wanting to argue, Pau remains silent, and glares up at Pat, who returns the wordless gaze, before shoving his papers off the desk and turning to leave. He slams the door behind him and begins to stomp down the hallway towards his office. Pau stares at the door for a while, before picking the documents off the floor and stacking them in a neat pile. He soon organizes them and starts to read them over one more time, trying to pick out anything that might be useful. He didn't want to believe that Pat had entirely lost his mind, yet. Although, he fears the man may be nearing that point. Suddenly, something catches his eye.

"...We can use the scraps from the destroyed robot to build greater weaponry..." The sentence reads. Pau abruptly remembers something. He shoots up out of his chair and rushes out of his office, heading in the direction of Pat's. This might be the key to finding their boss.

**Author's Note:**

> What a wild ride, huh? Don't expect super quick updates, as it's a lot harder for me to write at the moment because I'm just getting back into it. I'll try not to abandon this project, though. I already have bits and pieces of other chapters written.


End file.
